• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

GPU liquid cooling opinions

NAVI_Z

New Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2010
Messages
253 (0.05/day)
System Name Gamer Rig
Processor AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE
Motherboard ASUS M4A78T-E
Cooling Corsair H-50 cpu cooler.Kingston Hyper X ram cooler
Memory Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) XFX HD 5870 XXX Edition
Storage WD Velociraptor 300gig ; SAmsung Spinpoint 250gig
Display(s) Samsung SyncMaster 2494 24 inch full 1080p
Case NZXT TEMPEST AIRFLOW KING
Audio Device(s) none
Power Supply Kingwin 800w modular
Software Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
Hey Ya'll. Gonna take the plunge and liquid cool my twin XFX HD 5870's.

I would like an opinion or two from those who have liquid cooling

in their rigs. I put together a list of stuff i'm looking at:















Any and all comments are welcome.Thanx to everyone who has helped me out in the past.

you know who are.
 
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Messages
4,013 (0.75/day)
Well, if the MCW80 is around $50, and the heatsinks are around $30, if it were me I'd pony up the extra $10 per card and get a full coverage block. Much more effective, although they are a touch more restrictive than the little swifty. They also crossfire much cleaner, since the bridge tube just goes straight to the other card. I have a full coverage block from Danger Den for my 5870 and it idles at room temp (26), and never goes above 38 degrees, usually 36. I think you would need a dual rad to get anywhere near those temps with two cards.
 

NAVI_Z

New Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2010
Messages
253 (0.05/day)
System Name Gamer Rig
Processor AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE
Motherboard ASUS M4A78T-E
Cooling Corsair H-50 cpu cooler.Kingston Hyper X ram cooler
Memory Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) XFX HD 5870 XXX Edition
Storage WD Velociraptor 300gig ; SAmsung Spinpoint 250gig
Display(s) Samsung SyncMaster 2494 24 inch full 1080p
Case NZXT TEMPEST AIRFLOW KING
Audio Device(s) none
Power Supply Kingwin 800w modular
Software Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
@Alex:

thanx. i'm thinking dual 120 rads in stacked form with three 120mm fans push pull.i looked at the full blocks but are out of my "budget" range.
 
Joined
Aug 5, 2008
Messages
556 (0.10/day)
Location
Hampshire, UK
System Name If you name your systems, get a boy/girlfriend...
Processor i7 4770k
Motherboard Asus Maximus VI Formula
Cooling Custom waterloop around Black Ice GTX 360
Memory 16GB DDR3
Video Card(s) GTX 1080 FE
Storage Samsung 850 Pro 1TB
Case HAF 932
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Corsair HX750
Software Windows 10 x64
Just one comment:

I used to run a reservoir with integrated pump, but had to return it and go for plain res + separate pump instead.
The reason: noise and vibration.

You'll never get the pump suspended well in a combo reservoir.
Better go for a really cheap reservoir (no pump), and place pump on gel/rubber suspension at the bottom of the case. It's way better this way. Fewer bubbles, noise and vibration.

Cheers,
 
Joined
Aug 5, 2008
Messages
556 (0.10/day)
Location
Hampshire, UK
System Name If you name your systems, get a boy/girlfriend...
Processor i7 4770k
Motherboard Asus Maximus VI Formula
Cooling Custom waterloop around Black Ice GTX 360
Memory 16GB DDR3
Video Card(s) GTX 1080 FE
Storage Samsung 850 Pro 1TB
Case HAF 932
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Corsair HX750
Software Windows 10 x64
Ow.. one more thing... since you're buying from XSPC (I've got XSPC based loop)...
Better go for a smaller RX (thick) rad than a larger RS (thin).
Unless you can't fit RX in your case.

The performance of RX is incredible. I've got only a dual one (RX240) and it's enough to keep overclocked PII 955 and overclocked HD4890 very cool.
And that uses low rpm Scythe Typhoons.

Cheers,
 
Joined
Jan 16, 2008
Messages
1,349 (0.23/day)
Location
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Processor i7-3770K
Motherboard Biostar Hi-Fi Z77
Cooling Swiftech H20 (w/Custom External Rad Enclosure)
Memory 16GB DDR3-2400Mhz
Video Card(s) Alienware GTX 1070
Storage 1TB Samsung 850 EVO
Display(s) 32" LG 1440p
Case Cooler Master 690 (w/Mods)
Audio Device(s) Creative X-Fi Titanium
Power Supply Corsair 750-TX
Mouse Logitech G5
Keyboard G. Skill Mechanical
Software Windows 10 (X64)
And skip the Feser One Coolant. I've heard that those coolants are bad news unless you like your stuff all gunked up. Distilled water works awesome and is so much cheaper.

Another pro not mentioned for the MCW80 is that these waterblocks can often times be used on future cards, sometimes over and over. I bought a $8 adapter and I'm using an old MCW60 on a GTX 480. Can't do that with a full coverage block.
 
Joined
Nov 7, 2009
Messages
4,464 (0.85/day)
Location
Denmark
System Name The work PC /2700x/5950x
Processor 3900X stock/ 2700x stock/ 5950x 4200 MHz fixed @ 1,056-1,08V
Motherboard Gigabyte AORUS Master X570/2xMSI X470 M7 AC
Cooling Custom WC XSPC RX480, Laing DDC, XSPC Laing DDC Top V3 and EK Velocity/NH15/NH-U12S SE
Memory 32 GB Viper 3600/14 /16 GB Trident Z F4-4000C18D-16GTZSW 3600 /32 GB G Skill Flare CL14 3400
Video Card(s) 2070 Super X MSI/GTX 970 MSI/ GTX 970 MSI
Storage 1 TB SSD+500 GB NVMe / 500 GB SSD/ 500 GB SSD
Display(s) Dell UltraSharp U2518D/2408WFP
Case Corsair 800D / Lian test bench/NZXT 500
Power Supply AX 850 Titanium/AX 860i/AX 760
Software Dual boot/Win 7 & 10 / Linux / Win 10
You don't need a reservoir, a tee will do if you have the patience. My 1½ cents (limited experience, just started water cooling myself).
 
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
970 (0.19/day)
Location
Granby, Qc. Canada
System Name Loose nuts & bolts
Processor FX-8350 - EK Supreme HF full nickel
Motherboard ASUS Sabertooth 990FX R2.0
Cooling Water EK goodness all around 2xBlack Ice X-280
Memory 2 x8G HyperX Fury 1600 @ 9-9-9-24-1T
Video Card(s) 2 x XFX RX 480 w/EK-FC RX 480 nickel+Acetal
Storage Samsung 850 Evo + 2xWD Black 500GB in RAID0
Display(s) Crossover 27" 2560x1440 110Hz OC
Case Cooler Master HAF XB EVO
Audio Device(s) on board
Power Supply Corsair HX850
Software Win 10 Enterprise x64
You don't need a reservoir, a tee will do if you have the patience. My 1½ cents (limited experience, just started water cooling myself).

Rservoirs are good as they allow trapped air in your lines to be evacuated.
 
Joined
Nov 7, 2009
Messages
4,464 (0.85/day)
Location
Denmark
System Name The work PC /2700x/5950x
Processor 3900X stock/ 2700x stock/ 5950x 4200 MHz fixed @ 1,056-1,08V
Motherboard Gigabyte AORUS Master X570/2xMSI X470 M7 AC
Cooling Custom WC XSPC RX480, Laing DDC, XSPC Laing DDC Top V3 and EK Velocity/NH15/NH-U12S SE
Memory 32 GB Viper 3600/14 /16 GB Trident Z F4-4000C18D-16GTZSW 3600 /32 GB G Skill Flare CL14 3400
Video Card(s) 2070 Super X MSI/GTX 970 MSI/ GTX 970 MSI
Storage 1 TB SSD+500 GB NVMe / 500 GB SSD/ 500 GB SSD
Display(s) Dell UltraSharp U2518D/2408WFP
Case Corsair 800D / Lian test bench/NZXT 500
Power Supply AX 850 Titanium/AX 860i/AX 760
Software Dual boot/Win 7 & 10 / Linux / Win 10
Rservoirs are good as they allow trapped air in your lines to be evacuated.

Sure, but for the price of the combined solution he could get a good pump and as I mentioned "if you have the patience".
 

NAVI_Z

New Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2010
Messages
253 (0.05/day)
System Name Gamer Rig
Processor AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE
Motherboard ASUS M4A78T-E
Cooling Corsair H-50 cpu cooler.Kingston Hyper X ram cooler
Memory Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) XFX HD 5870 XXX Edition
Storage WD Velociraptor 300gig ; SAmsung Spinpoint 250gig
Display(s) Samsung SyncMaster 2494 24 inch full 1080p
Case NZXT TEMPEST AIRFLOW KING
Audio Device(s) none
Power Supply Kingwin 800w modular
Software Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
how about this monsta.





just curious. my case is at a premium for space as you can see.











not much room.
 

sneekypeet

Retired Super Moderator
Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
29,407 (4.49/day)
System Name EVA-01
Processor Intel i7 13700K
Motherboard Asus ROG Maximus Z690 HERO EVA Edition
Cooling ASUS ROG Ryujin III 360 with Noctua Industrial Fans
Memory PAtriot Viper Elite RGB 96GB @ 6000MHz.
Video Card(s) Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3090 24GB OC EVA Edition
Storage Addlink S95 M.2 PCIe GEN 4x4 2TB
Display(s) Asus ROG SWIFT OLED PG42UQ
Case Thermaltake Core P3 TG
Audio Device(s) Realtek on board > Sony Receiver > Cerwin Vegas
Power Supply be quiet DARK POWER PRO 12 1500W
Mouse ROG STRIX Impact Electro Punk
Keyboard ROG STRIX Scope TKL Electro Punk
Software Windows 11
move bottom drive to top bay set, remove lower drive assembly, plenty of room.

Look into a 355 or 655 pump and a res top, they will fit quite nicely down there;)
 

NAVI_Z

New Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2010
Messages
253 (0.05/day)
System Name Gamer Rig
Processor AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE
Motherboard ASUS M4A78T-E
Cooling Corsair H-50 cpu cooler.Kingston Hyper X ram cooler
Memory Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) XFX HD 5870 XXX Edition
Storage WD Velociraptor 300gig ; SAmsung Spinpoint 250gig
Display(s) Samsung SyncMaster 2494 24 inch full 1080p
Case NZXT TEMPEST AIRFLOW KING
Audio Device(s) none
Power Supply Kingwin 800w modular
Software Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
@sneeky:

where would i put the double stacked 120mm rads? behind the pump??
 

sneekypeet

Retired Super Moderator
Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
29,407 (4.49/day)
System Name EVA-01
Processor Intel i7 13700K
Motherboard Asus ROG Maximus Z690 HERO EVA Edition
Cooling ASUS ROG Ryujin III 360 with Noctua Industrial Fans
Memory PAtriot Viper Elite RGB 96GB @ 6000MHz.
Video Card(s) Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3090 24GB OC EVA Edition
Storage Addlink S95 M.2 PCIe GEN 4x4 2TB
Display(s) Asus ROG SWIFT OLED PG42UQ
Case Thermaltake Core P3 TG
Audio Device(s) Realtek on board > Sony Receiver > Cerwin Vegas
Power Supply be quiet DARK POWER PRO 12 1500W
Mouse ROG STRIX Impact Electro Punk
Keyboard ROG STRIX Scope TKL Electro Punk
Software Windows 11
hang it off the back, outside the case with a radbox or similar product.
 

NAVI_Z

New Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2010
Messages
253 (0.05/day)
System Name Gamer Rig
Processor AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE
Motherboard ASUS M4A78T-E
Cooling Corsair H-50 cpu cooler.Kingston Hyper X ram cooler
Memory Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) XFX HD 5870 XXX Edition
Storage WD Velociraptor 300gig ; SAmsung Spinpoint 250gig
Display(s) Samsung SyncMaster 2494 24 inch full 1080p
Case NZXT TEMPEST AIRFLOW KING
Audio Device(s) none
Power Supply Kingwin 800w modular
Software Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
@sneeky:

i'm really trying to keep everything inside the case. I'm not a big fan of exterior rads n such.
 

sneekypeet

Retired Super Moderator
Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
29,407 (4.49/day)
System Name EVA-01
Processor Intel i7 13700K
Motherboard Asus ROG Maximus Z690 HERO EVA Edition
Cooling ASUS ROG Ryujin III 360 with Noctua Industrial Fans
Memory PAtriot Viper Elite RGB 96GB @ 6000MHz.
Video Card(s) Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3090 24GB OC EVA Edition
Storage Addlink S95 M.2 PCIe GEN 4x4 2TB
Display(s) Asus ROG SWIFT OLED PG42UQ
Case Thermaltake Core P3 TG
Audio Device(s) Realtek on board > Sony Receiver > Cerwin Vegas
Power Supply be quiet DARK POWER PRO 12 1500W
Mouse ROG STRIX Impact Electro Punk
Keyboard ROG STRIX Scope TKL Electro Punk
Software Windows 11
I didnt look too deep but it seems the roof of the case has room for 2 120mm fans. Get a dual rad and hang it up there? That is the Tempest right?
 

NAVI_Z

New Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2010
Messages
253 (0.05/day)
System Name Gamer Rig
Processor AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE
Motherboard ASUS M4A78T-E
Cooling Corsair H-50 cpu cooler.Kingston Hyper X ram cooler
Memory Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) XFX HD 5870 XXX Edition
Storage WD Velociraptor 300gig ; SAmsung Spinpoint 250gig
Display(s) Samsung SyncMaster 2494 24 inch full 1080p
Case NZXT TEMPEST AIRFLOW KING
Audio Device(s) none
Power Supply Kingwin 800w modular
Software Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
And skip the Feser One Coolant. I've heard that those coolants are bad news unless you like your stuff all gunked up. Distilled water works awesome and is so much cheaper.

Another pro not mentioned for the MCW80 is that these waterblocks can often times be used on future cards, sometimes over and over. I bought a $8 adapter and I'm using an old MCW60 on a GTX 480. Can't do that with a full coverage block.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwQDLeCz9FI

:cool:

as far as using these blocks on other cards is exactly why i'm lookin at the MCW80.
 

NAVI_Z

New Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2010
Messages
253 (0.05/day)
System Name Gamer Rig
Processor AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE
Motherboard ASUS M4A78T-E
Cooling Corsair H-50 cpu cooler.Kingston Hyper X ram cooler
Memory Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) XFX HD 5870 XXX Edition
Storage WD Velociraptor 300gig ; SAmsung Spinpoint 250gig
Display(s) Samsung SyncMaster 2494 24 inch full 1080p
Case NZXT TEMPEST AIRFLOW KING
Audio Device(s) none
Power Supply Kingwin 800w modular
Software Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
I didnt look too deep but it seems the roof of the case has room for 2 120mm fans. Get a dual rad and hang it up there? That is the Tempest right?

yes its the tempest.it seems like the the ram cooler and the H50 would be in the way of a dual 120mm rad up top?
 

JrRacinFan

Served 5k and counting ...
Joined
Mar 17, 2007
Messages
20,064 (3.23/day)
Location
Youngstown, OH
System Name Dual Build Streamer
Processor Ryzen 7900x3d : Ryzen 4600G
Motherboard AsRock B650E Steel Legend : Giga B450i Aorus
Cooling Custom Water 1x420 : Stock
Memory 32GB T-Force Deltas : 16GB Dominator Platinums
Video Card(s) PowerColor 7900 XTX Liquid Devil: iGPU
Storage 20+ TB
Display(s) Sammy 49" 5k Ultrawide
Case Custom White Painted Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2
Audio Device(s) Onboard : Onboard
Power Supply EVGA 1200W P2
Mouse Corsair M65 RGB Elite White
Keyboard Hyperx Origins 65
Software Windows 10
Get rid of the H50 and add it to the loop then. :) Nice little project but just put a 3rd party air cooler on your GPU and be merry.
 

NAVI_Z

New Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2010
Messages
253 (0.05/day)
System Name Gamer Rig
Processor AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE
Motherboard ASUS M4A78T-E
Cooling Corsair H-50 cpu cooler.Kingston Hyper X ram cooler
Memory Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) XFX HD 5870 XXX Edition
Storage WD Velociraptor 300gig ; SAmsung Spinpoint 250gig
Display(s) Samsung SyncMaster 2494 24 inch full 1080p
Case NZXT TEMPEST AIRFLOW KING
Audio Device(s) none
Power Supply Kingwin 800w modular
Software Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
Get rid of the H50 and add it to the loop then. :) Nice little project but just put a 3rd party air cooler on your GPU and be merry.

air coolers are just too loud. my 5870's oc to 900&1200!! they sound like hair dryers for cryin out loud!!!...lol

anyways, thats the whole reason for liquid cooling them. low temps and no noise.
 

JrRacinFan

Served 5k and counting ...
Joined
Mar 17, 2007
Messages
20,064 (3.23/day)
Location
Youngstown, OH
System Name Dual Build Streamer
Processor Ryzen 7900x3d : Ryzen 4600G
Motherboard AsRock B650E Steel Legend : Giga B450i Aorus
Cooling Custom Water 1x420 : Stock
Memory 32GB T-Force Deltas : 16GB Dominator Platinums
Video Card(s) PowerColor 7900 XTX Liquid Devil: iGPU
Storage 20+ TB
Display(s) Sammy 49" 5k Ultrawide
Case Custom White Painted Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2
Audio Device(s) Onboard : Onboard
Power Supply EVGA 1200W P2
Mouse Corsair M65 RGB Elite White
Keyboard Hyperx Origins 65
Software Windows 10
Joined
Jan 12, 2007
Messages
2,276 (0.36/day)
Location
Cairns QLD, Aussie
System Name GaMEr / HTPC
Processor FX8320 4.5ghz so far NB- 2815mhz / X2 255 @ 3.2ghz (Temp till BD)
Motherboard 990FX-UD5 / GA-MA785GPMT-US2H
Cooling XSPC - 240rad 480rad 5 x 120mm out, 6 x 80mm in / H220-edge 1/2" & 2 x 120mm Magma
Memory 4gb PI 6,8,6,18 1T 1706mhz / 4gb Crucial D9's 1400 @ 6,6,6,18,1T
Video Card(s) 3gb HD7950 / Onboard
Storage 2 x 120gb Sandisk ultra plus 2tb WD / 60gb vertex 2 + 2 x 2tb WD Greens
Display(s) 3x24in Dell Ultra (portrait) / NEC 32" FullHD LCD
Case LL PC71A Full tower / Antec fusion black with Imon remote Modded for WC
Audio Device(s) OB / Auzentech cinema 7.1
Power Supply TT 700w TR2 / TT 600w Litepower modded with Noctua S12 fan.
Software 7 Ult / 7 premium x64
I am about to buy one of those MCW80's for my HD5870 as well. I cannot go for a full coverage block because of my case (Antec fusion) as the cards height is already at the top of my case and all (as far as I know) full coverage blocks have the in/out lines on top edge of card.

I can't get my hands on the swiftech heatsink so was just going to use a set of arctic cooling sinks.

I am also tossing up on an XSPC setup. As space is a premium in my case I was thinking of buying the new swiftech drive radiator with integrated pump/res:

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=207_160_297_919&products_id=13304

Its expensive but will suit my purpose well..

I will keep an eye on this thread and contribute when I get my bit organised. :)
 

MxPhenom 216

ASIC Engineer
Joined
Aug 31, 2010
Messages
12,944 (2.62/day)
Location
Loveland, CO
System Name Ryzen Reflection
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5900x
Motherboard Gigabyte X570S Aorus Master
Cooling 2x EK PE360 | TechN AM4 AMD Block Black | EK Quantum Vector Trinity GPU Nickel + Plexi
Memory Teamgroup T-Force Xtreem 2x16GB B-Die 3600 @ 14-14-14-28-42-288-2T 1.45v
Video Card(s) Zotac AMP HoloBlack RTX 3080Ti 12G | 950mV 1950Mhz
Storage WD SN850 500GB (OS) | Samsung 980 Pro 1TB (Games_1) | Samsung 970 Evo 1TB (Games_2)
Display(s) Asus XG27AQM 240Hz G-Sync Fast-IPS | Gigabyte M27Q-P 165Hz 1440P IPS | Asus 24" IPS (portrait mode)
Case Lian Li PC-011D XL | Custom cables by Cablemodz
Audio Device(s) FiiO K7 | Sennheiser HD650 + Beyerdynamic FOX Mic
Power Supply Seasonic Prime Ultra Platinum 850
Mouse Razer Viper v2 Pro
Keyboard Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition
Software Windows 11 Pro 64-Bit
Swiftech MCp355 pump w/ a XSPC Res top is a awesome setup and should be more then enough for a pump and res combo

Also ditch the colored coolant and get colored tubing and then go to the store and get some distilled water and order some PT nuke off petrastechshop. Feser coolant scums up your blocks, pump and tubing while the distilled water runs cooler and much cleaner
 

NAVI_Z

New Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2010
Messages
253 (0.05/day)
System Name Gamer Rig
Processor AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE
Motherboard ASUS M4A78T-E
Cooling Corsair H-50 cpu cooler.Kingston Hyper X ram cooler
Memory Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) XFX HD 5870 XXX Edition
Storage WD Velociraptor 300gig ; SAmsung Spinpoint 250gig
Display(s) Samsung SyncMaster 2494 24 inch full 1080p
Case NZXT TEMPEST AIRFLOW KING
Audio Device(s) none
Power Supply Kingwin 800w modular
Software Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
PT Nuke?? I've even read sumtin bout water wetter or some other additives n such.

so in other words. use distilled and add a dye,anticorrosion,and some other agents?:confused:
 

NAVI_Z

New Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2010
Messages
253 (0.05/day)
System Name Gamer Rig
Processor AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE
Motherboard ASUS M4A78T-E
Cooling Corsair H-50 cpu cooler.Kingston Hyper X ram cooler
Memory Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) XFX HD 5870 XXX Edition
Storage WD Velociraptor 300gig ; SAmsung Spinpoint 250gig
Display(s) Samsung SyncMaster 2494 24 inch full 1080p
Case NZXT TEMPEST AIRFLOW KING
Audio Device(s) none
Power Supply Kingwin 800w modular
Software Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
Top